Setting means for a date timepiece



May 3, 1966 PQLQ ET AL 3,248,868

SETTING MEANS FOR A DATE TIMEPIECE Filed July 28, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet l May 3, 1986 R. POLO ET AL SETTING MEANS FOR A DATE TIMEPIECE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 28, 1964 May 3,1966 R. POLO ET AL 3,248,868

SETTING MEANS FOR A DATE TIMEPIECE Filed July 28, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent 3,248,868 SETTING MEANS FOR A DATE TIMEPIECE Raymond Polo and Francis Worpe, La Chauxde-Fonds,

Switzerland, assignors to Fabriques Movado, La Chauxde-Fonds, Switzerland, and Manufactures des Montres Universal, Perret Freres S.A., Geneva, Switzerland Filed July 28, 1964, Ser. No. 385,658 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Aug. 8, 1963, 9,831/ 63 3 Claims. (CI. 58-58) Date timepieces are sometimes provided with a mechanism which permits indication of the date through a Window in the dial. This mechanism thus drives, once a day, a crown or a disc showing on its surface the figures corresponding to the thirty-one days and which moves underneath the window of the dial.

Whenever the timepiece stops and at the end of each month the date has to be corrected.

In simple constructions, this correction consists in imparting on the hands a number of revolutions corresponding to that which they would have made during the days when the timepiece was stopped. This correction takes some time and causes unnecessary wear of the various time setting devices.

Systems are known in which a push-piece is directly connected with the crown of the date disc so that at each pressure, the latter moves on by one step. Although this mechanism is easy to make, it has the disadvantage of requiring an additional opening through the case which restricts its uses for water-resistant watches.

Lastly, there are other mechanisms permitting the date to be corrected through the Winding shaft and without requiring to move the hands. For this purpose, the winding shaft has three different positions, one for winding, the sec-0nd for time setting and the third for correcting the date. A setting lever controlled by this pin co-operates with two levers lying one over the other, the one being provided with the time setting wheel and the other with the winding wheel and a cam for correcting the date.

The contact between this cam and one of the teeth of the date crown sometimes results in a butting that can cause the mechanism to stop, or even one of its constituents to break.

The object of the present invention is a date timepiece in which the date correction mechanism includes a gear train the last wheel of which co-operates With a cam which in turn co-operates with the date indicator, is mounted on a lever controlled by the winding shaft. It is characterised in that the width of said lever, at least along part of its length, is such that it can bend elastically in cases that the contact between the cam and the teeth of the date indicator causes a butting.

The enclosed drawing represents, by way of example, an embodiment of the object of the present invention,

FIGURE 1 is a view in the winding position, FIGURE 2 a view in the adjustment position and FIGURE 3 a view in the date correction position.

According to FIGURE 1, the mechanism includes, mounted in a recess of plate 1 a winder pin 2 jointed in sliding device 3. The end 4 of this setting lever touches two levers 5 and 6 lying one over the other and revolving around the axle of crown 7. The end 8 of the setting lever co-operates with the head of the jumper spring 9 provided with two notches 10 and 11, and with a slanted surface 12. Both levers 5 and 6 lean against end 4 of the setting lever by means of a spring provided with two elastic blades 13 and 14. Lever 5 includes an arm 15 at the end of which revolves the winding wheel 16 with 3,248,858 Patented May 3, 1966 which the cam 17 co-operates. Wheel 16 can mesh with barrel ratchet 18. Lever 6 supports the setting wheel 19 which can mesh with the first wheel 20 of the minute train.

During winding, the-pieces of the mechanism are in the position represented in FIGURE 1. The end 8 of the setting lever is held back in notch 10 of umper spring 9 and both levers 5 and 6 lean against end 4 of this setting lever 3, through elastic blades 13 and 14. Wheel 16 then meshes with crown 7 and ratchet 18 in such a way that the rotation of the pin results in the spring being wound through the winding shaft 21 with which it cooperates.

For adjustment, the pieces are in the position represented in FIGURE 2. The end 8 of the setting lever 15 held back in notch 11 of the jumper spring. Lever 6 leans against the setting lever with area 22 of its periphery, which causes wheel 19 to mesh with wheel 20 of the minute train.

Lever 5 leans with a similar area 22 against the setting lever in such a way that wheel 16 and cam 17 are in an inoperative position between ratchet 18 and the date crown 23. A rotation of the shaft then causes a change in the position of the hands.

While the date is being corrected, the pieces are in the position represented in FIGURE 3. One end 8 of the setting lever is held back by plane 12 of the jumper spring. Lever 5 leans on the setting lever through area 27 of its periphery, placing cam 17 on the trajectory of the teeth 24 of the date crown 23. Lever 6 leans against the setting lever through area 25 of its periphery, thus removing wheel 19 from the minute train. A rotation of the winding shaft then causes the date to be changed by one unit with each turn of cam 17.

Thanks to the narrow area 26 of lever 5, the arm 15 is sufficiently elastic to enable it to bend at the moment of any angle being formed between the tooth and cam 17 while the date is being corrected, thus avoiding any'distortion or breaking of the tooth or the cam.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described; it also covers mechanism in which one single elastic lever fulfills only two or even only one of the three functions described.

The elastic lever provides the Watch mechanism with an additional safety device by preventing any distortion or breaking of one of the pieces in contact with the other,

through bad or abrupt manipulation by the user,

What we claim is:

1. A date timepiece comprising a movable, toothed date crown, a winding shaft adapted to be manually moved axially and rotated about its axis, and means for mov ing the date crown including a pivotable lever, means operatively connecting said lever to the winding shaft whereby the axial position of the winding shaft controls the position of said lever, a gear wheel mounted for rotation on the lever, and a cam mounted for rotation on the lever and cooperating with the gear wheel so that rotation of the gear wheel causes 'the cam to rotate, the

and cam are mounted, the arm being adapted to bend References Cited by the Examiner elastically whenever butting occurs between the cam and UNITED STATES PATENTS said one of the teeth of the date crown.

3. A date timepiece as claimed in claim 2 in which re- 2,554,402 5/1951 Dmshelm 58*575 silient biasing means are provided to bias the lever to a 5 position in which the cam cannot engage the teeth of the LOUIS CAPOZI Pnmary Examiner date crown. LEO SMILOW, G. F. BAKER, Assistant Examiners, 

1. A DATE TIMEPIECE COMPRISING A MOVABLE, TOOTHED DATE CROWN, A WINDING SHAFT ADAPTED TO BE MANUALLY MOVED AXIALLY AND ROTATED ABOUT ITS AXIS, AND MEANS FOR MOVING THE DATE CROWN INCLUDING A PIVOTABLE LEVER, MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID LEVER TO THE WINDING SHAFT WHERE BY THE AXIAL POSITION OF THE WINDING SHAFT CONTROL THE POSITION OF SAID LEVER, A GEAR WHEEL MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ON THE LEVER, AND A CAM MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ON THE LEVER AND COOPERATING WITH THE GEAR WHEEL SO THAT ROTATION OF THE GEAR WHEEL CAUSES THE CAM TO ROTATE, THE LEVER BEING ADAPTED TO PIVOT TO A POSITION IN WHICH THE GEAR WHEEL ENGAGES THE WINGING SHAFT THROUGH A GEAR TRAIN AND IN WHICH THE CAM CAN ENGAGE ONE OF THE TEETH OF THE DATE CROWN TO MOVE SAID DATE CROWN, SAID LEVER BEIONG ADAPTED TO BEND ELASTICALLLY WHENEVER BUTTING OCCURS BETWEEN SAID CAM AND SAID ONE OF THE TEETH OF THE SAID DATE CROWN. 